


Always, Forever

by queenmidalah



Series: The Coulson Chronicles [6]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 17:42:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6917011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenmidalah/pseuds/queenmidalah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma receives sad news about a family member. Bucky is there for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always, Forever

**Author's Note:**

> I suddenly decided, after watching Captain America: Civil War, that I needed to write something in the series that dealt with Peggy's passing. This 'fic is not really compliant with Age of Ultron or Civil War as the events happened, but more in the compliance of the series I've been building.

Jemma Coulson-Simmons hadn’t been able to stop crying since they had received the news they had been dreading, but had known was inevitable.

Peggy Carter-Coulson had passed away.

Jemma had been in the lab with Leo Fitz when her father, the director of SHIELD, Phil Coulson had asked to speak to her alone. Her head had immediately lifted from her microscope. She only had to look at Coulson’s face to know what he had to tell her. Her face had crumbled and she shook her head in denial, but she knew it would do no good. 

Coulson had gathered his daughter close as Fitz had slipped out of the lab, going to find the others. He didn’t need to hear the words that Coulson needed to tell his daughter to know what had happened. 

The team, including a reforming Grant Ward, had immediately gotten on the jet and headed off to London to begin funeral arrangements for the founding member of SHIELD. They had arrived two days before the Avengers had landed to assist how they could.

Sitting in the church, Jemma still felt as if it was all surreal. Even as she turned her head to the side as the casket was being carried down the aisle of the church. Amongst the pall bearers were her father, Steve Rogers, and James Buchanan Barnes. The last was a minor surprise initially, but Jemma quickly remembered that Barnes had known Peggy as well from World War II, though his relationship hadn’t been the same as it had been between Steve and Peggy.

Once Peggy’s casket was in place, Coulson joined Jemma in the front pew, taking her hand. Her mother, Elizabeth, was also in attendance on her other side with her husband, a man Jemma loved as much as she loved Coulson. In the pew behind them sat Steve, Bucky, and the rest of the Avengers. 

Jemma was barely aware of her first cousin once removed, Sharon, stepping up to the podium to speak about her grandmother, who was Sharon’s aunt. She didn’t care about anecdotes the blonde gave about how she knew her as Aunt Peggy, or how she had kept their relation a secret because Peggy wore a pair of shoes that were hard to fill. Jemma knew that more than anyone could possibly imagine, what with her grandmother being a founder of SHIELD, her father being a prominent agent his entire career, and her mother having been one of the top scientists in her field before retiring from the agency. 

Jemma remained silent as the service ended and they headed to the cemetery for the burial. She barely reacted when she felt cool metal, then warm flesh, at her elbow as Bucky urged her forward to place the rose in her hand on Peggy’s casket, along with the one in his hand. He led her back to where she had been standing between her parents, remaining at her back the rest of the time.

Soon they had left the cemetery, reconvening for a luncheon and to talk about Peggy’s memory at the London estate where Peggy had retired and been brought back from the nursing home in the States to live out her final months. Jemma couldn’t deal with all the people, having finally retreated out to the patio in the hopes that the fresh air would help her. She had seen Steve talking to Natasha Romanoff quietly, the redhead’s hand in Steve’s as he spoke of Peggy. She was glad Steve had someone to talk to. Melinda May was seeing to Coulson, ensuring that he had someone to talk to as he dealt with the loss of his mother.

It seemed hours later, but she knew it had only been about fifteen minutes, when Jemma sensed someone joining her on the patio. She prayed it wasn’t Ward. While he had been redeeming himself, particularly after the Hydra conditioning had been removed from his brain, she still struggled with his presence at times after what had happened. She heard the soft movement of metal and knew it wasn’t Ward. Bucky was silent as he moved just past her to stand on the edge of the patio, looking out over the garden.

“The first time I met your grandmother, I tried to charm her,” he finally said, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “She had on this red dress that matched her lipstick. Walking into a pub full of soldiers, she stood out. Even then she only had eyes for Steve. I never knew what Steve had felt like before he became Captain America until that moment.”

“Grandmum was very focused when she had her mind set on something,” Jemma said, her voice rough.

“Damned true, even when she was pissed,” Bucky said, smirking. “Steve screwed up and she held it against him for awhile. Practically had to grovel to get back in her good graces.”

“Did it take him long to do so?” Jemma asked.

“Nah, not really,” Bucky said. “With a war on, we all realized that life was also too short. I’m glad I got to see her forgive him. Next mission was the one where everyone thought I was killed and Hydra got their hooks in me.”

Jemma looked at his profile, seeing how tense his jaw was. “She used to tell me stories about you and Steve,” she said.

Bucky looked at her, his eyebrow arching in surprise. “Really?”

Jemma nodded, getting to her feet. She walked over to stand beside Bucky. “Captain America and the Howling Commandos were often the stars of her stories, but when it came to loyalty and friendship, she told me nothing could compare to the friendship you and Steve had.”

Bucky smiled a bit. “Only Peggy could spin a story about friendship and loyalty from two war buddies,” he said.

“You two were more than that,” Jemma pointed out.

“Yeah,” he said. “We were. Still are to be honest.” Bucky took a deep breath. “I’m glad I got to see her before she passed away. I only wish she could have truly known I was here. Steve told me she would forget he had survived and be shocked all over again. By the time he brought me to see her…”

“She would have been so happy to know you had survived too,” Jemma said. She rested her hand on Bucky’s arm when he started to say something. “She never would have judged you for what Hydra made you do. She probably would have beaten herself up for not looking harder for you after you fell. She would have wanted to have helped you.”

Bucky looked at Jemma. He reached up and brushed an errant piece of her hair from her cheek. “She did,” he said. “She found happiness, had a family. She had Coulson, who had you. You helped me when you had no way of knowing if you could reverse what Hydra had done. You…” He turned and took her hands between his own. “You offered me friendship and companionship when only Steve wanted to do that.”

Jemma blushed lightly, her fingers brushing over the calloused tips of his right hand and the metal tips of his left. Tears slipped onto her cheeks as her emotions caught up with her once more. “What happened to you wasn’t your fault, you didn’t deserve to be--,” she started.

“Jemma,” Bucky whispered. He tilted her chin up, his fingers moving to brush away her tears. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when Phil told you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to hold you as you grieved your grandmother.”

“You can hold me now,” Jemma whispered. She moved towards him as he drew her closer, pressing herself into his broad chest, burying her face against him.

“Always,” he murmured, stroking her back as he felt her resolve break. He would hold her as long as she needed him to. He only hoped she would need him forever.


End file.
